When I’m old and retired and I’m giving out the award for Hardest Working 100 Scope Notes Image of All Time, you know who’s name I’m going to call? Right here: This is your annual reminder that The 2019 Youth Media Awards are coming on January 28th at 8:00 am PST (11:00 am EST). The […]

REBOOTING Roald Dahl’s The Witches is coming back to theaters and Anne Hathaway will be a part of the action. Click here to read. CHOOSE YOUR OWN LAWSUIT The Choose Your Own Adventure publisher is suing Netflix over Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Click here to read. LET ME TELL YOU WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T READ In “You […]

With anti-Semitism on the rise, teaching the lessons of history to inform students and counter bigotry has never been more important. Here are resources with recommended books for young readers about the Jewish experience and a new curriculum to help students understand the Holocaust and its legacy, with the life of Oskar Schindler as an entry point.

R.I.P. JB One of the picture book greats, John Burningham, has passed away. If you’re a fan of the form and you haven’t dug into Burningham’s catalog, you should. Click here to read more. AWESOMELY WIMPY I remember watching a video interview with Jeff Kinney a while back (I can’t find it now or I would […]

The author of The Music of What Happens had an annual award named after him after he spoke out against a bigoted panelist at the NCTE conference in November and talked about the incident emotionally a couple of days later. He is quick to admit, however, that he doesn't have all the answers when it comes to the right way to combat hatred and bigotry.

There are a wealth of opportunities in this edition of NewsBites—from a earning school library grant or a social media superstar award, winning book donations and an exhibition possibly stopping at your branch.

New Year, new books. Here are 10 that I’m excited about this season. So excited, in fact, that I included 11 books instead of 10. Picture Books The Lost Book by Margarita Surnaite Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster) | February 5 | Grades K-2 A rabbit finds a book that sends him on […]

Happy New Year! Two coming soons to keep an eye on . . . Coming Soon #1 Netflix released this trailer about animated Roald Dahl stories to come. I am cautiously optimistic about this news, especially since they will be animated. Is it just me or is live-action more difficult to pull off? Maybe I’m […]

On April 4th, Lantana Publishing will release Maryam al Serkal’s tale about a little girl that wishes her curly hair were straight like her mama’s. Filled with vibrant art and images, it’s about embracing your natural hair, no matter where you’re from.

“Give a kid a cardboard box….” You’ll often hear parents quip that their child was more interested in the box rather than the new toy. And I know when my groceries are delivered in cardboard boxes, my kids beg me to keep it around. It becomes a house, a bus, and anything their imagination allows. Chad Sell and his many collaborators use this concept to create a rich story about a group of neighborhood kids that allows their imagination and ours to soar.

Guest post author/illustrator Brian Lies discusses the choices he made to both art and text when creating GOT TO GET TO BEAR'S!, and the implications and importance of gender choices in even the sweetest of picture books.

Transformers: Bumblebee—Win If You Dare Writer: James Asmus Artists: Marcelo Ferreira, Athila Fabbio and Valentina Pinto IDW Publishing; $9.99 So you’ve just seen Bumblebee, the latest of the six live-action Transformers feature films…as well as the best and most all-ages friendly of them all. And you want to spend more time with that group of […]

This week's new comics include a new Avatar: The Last Airbender story, written by Faith Erin Hicks, a Star Wars Adventures comic, a science comic about polar bears, and a Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur trade.

Scooby, Shaggy, and the rest of the Mystery Inc. team go to a carnival sideshow in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #96: The owners of an amusement park at a seaside resort hopes a new Ferris wheel will revive the local businesses, but no tourist attractions and freak shows can compete with real-life monsters! Can Scooby […]

2019 is just around the corner and I can't wait for a new Raina Telgemeier, a middle grade #metoo, a few books about eating disorders, and so many more titles. Get your TBR list out for these can't-miss forthcoming books!

This is my 17th year in middle school. Sure, I should probably graduate, but I do like the age a lot. It makes work exciting most days. When I read certain books, I just feel like the author (artist) has captured what goes on in a given day. The Berrybrook Middle School series just gets […]

In a difficult year, SLJ readers raised up good books for kids and teens, seeking out and celebrating the best in publishing. The most popular posts of the year included lists featuring Latinx and Native American themes and characters.

Like many of you (I’m guessing), I keep multiple reading-related lists. I keep track of what I read each year. I keep track of what ARCs I’ve gotten and hope to read. I keep track of what books I either want to get when they come out or hope to track down as ARCs but haven’t […]

Are you looking for an engrossing story? One that will take you to another world? Do you want to read about fantastical creatures? Wars? The imminent demise of planet Earth? That and more is all in this little graphic novel by Scott and Robinson. The City on the Other Side By Mairghread Scott. Robin Robinson […]

Though I was never an avid fantasy reader growing up, I was well versed enough in fairy tales and mythology to know the basics about changelings: Fairies disguise their own child as human and exchange it for a human child. Why? Estranged tackles that question and offers a powerful statement on what makes a family […]

Let’s usher in December with a Christmas-themed Archie preview! In the new lead story of World of Archie Jumbo Digest #84, Archie finds an inflatable Santa suit, and the mind boggles with the possibilities for what can go wrong. And we also have a complete classic story in which Archie defends the spirit of Christmas […]